Balanced Diet

Do you believe in all round nutrition or protein shakes alone? People who go for a bike ride or any other rigorous exercise concentrate more on protein-rich food than having a food rich in all vital nutrients.

The fact is while protein-rich food is good building lean muscle and nurturing muscle cells, it alone is not enough for the complete development and sustenance of our body. People look down on carbohydrates and view them as spoilers and weight gainers. As a matter of fact, the body craves for energy and most of our energy needs are fulfilled by carbs alone. Fats are essential too, to rejuvenate heart muscle and skin cells and to absorb certain vitamins.

You also need to consume plenty of green leafy vegetables, cereals, lean meats and fish to suffice body's overall needs. So how do you view the balanced diet and the clamor for protein shakes? Your thoughts.

 

This is a great post. I hate all the misinformation out right now about diet. A balanced diet of carbs/protein/fat is what your body needs. I am a big fan of all around nutrition.
I try to keep it simple, three decent meals with a variety of foods. Keep sugars to a minimum and the only calories I consume in beverage form would be beer, or perhaps the cream in my coffee.
I use protein shakes sparingly, normally just after a weight lifting session at the gym.
Lately I have been using skim milk powder instead of whey protein. It's higher in calories and less protein, but it's $5 a tub instead of $50 for the same amount of whey.

 

I think getting your nutrients from food is more better than getting them from supplements, whenever that's possible. For me, I try to concentrate on getting enough different types of fruits and vegetables into my system and on eating whole grains. I'm not a big vegetable person, so I have a goal of 5 different fruits and veggies every day, and I do my best to make sure they are different colors since that generally means you are getting a variety of vitamins. (That doesn't mean I get 5 servings of fruits and veggies, though.)

I've never been too big on supplements. Multivitamins upset my stomach.

I think I get enough protein in my diet without supplements, but I'm also not currently trying to get a lot of extra muscle strength. I think if you are, then having a protein shake after your workout have been useful in helping your muscles to recover.

 

Thanks for your compliment. Beer is a good beverage if done right. Try to get fresh buffalo/goat milk instead of skimmed milk powder.

Yes, organic food is much better than supplements. Our body absorbs nutrients from fresh organic sources better than synthetic vitamins and minerals. Whole grains are great. Try to fit in green leafy vegetables too in your diet.

 

A balanced diet of all-round nutrition over anything else, absolutely. Protein shakes can be good in a pinch but don't even begin to add up to the degree of benefit you'll get from eating a nutritious diet. The only time I really feel the need to go for a protein shake is if I don't have anything else around and need a good boost. And even then, I make my own using healthy ingredients so that it has a lot of wholesome goodness in it.
There are lots of deliciously healthy protein shake recipes out there! I generally avoid protein powders as well and go for natural sources. One of my favorites is a mix of mango, greek yogurt, lemon juice, a small bit of maple syrup, vanilla, and pistachios. Very delicious, and gives 18 grams of protein in the size I made.

 

To be honest, protein shakes all look a bit dodgy to me. I'm not going to question their quality but for some reason I just don't trust them. I have a very balanced diet and I never felt like I needed artificial reinforcements.

 

Since I am not an athlete so I am not into those hi-protein food. But I am into high fiber for another reason. Anyway, my policy in a balanced diet is anything that is not bad for the health and taken into moderation. So I eat beef but not often just like I eat fish once in a while. And the volume of food should always be measured. That was why I gained weight because I failed to watch my food and I was just surprised that I gained 10 pounds in a month's time when I stopped biking.

 

I prefer a balanced diet. I was never much into high protein shakes or whatnot. For a while I did Keto to help with losing weight and to see if cutting down on carbs would have an affect on my insulin resistance. It helped my body to rebalance itself before I slowly reintroduced some carbs back in. I keep to veggies, fruits, lean meats and some grains. No sugar and no extra salt. Overall as long as I'm not ingesting unnecessary sugar from sodas or cakes, ect then it's all good.

 

I believe that we should be getting out nutrients through a balanced diet. I would suggest a protein drink only if you are heavily into body building and require the extra grams of protein. That is the reason why it is called a supplement. It suppose to be added with your regular meals and not a replacement.

 

That's also my idea of protein supplements, for building muscle. But there are women I know who take protein shakes but they tell me that it's not really for the muscles but more for the strength. Of course, I wouldn't argue but it looks to me that they want to exude an image that their toned muscles are natural and that they got it from mere exercise in the gym. My first example is my high school chum who is now admin of a gym. That's probably her sales pitch - that natural muscle.

 

I think balanced nutrition is better. Too much protein can be as bad as too little. I personally don't use protein shakes because I don't like how processed they are and I don't like to eat soy as it could mess up my hormones. I think the best thing is to eat a balanced diet and not worry about extra protein, just eat a little more meat than you would if you weren't an athlete.
I think balanced nutrition is better. Too much protein can be as bad as too little. I personally don't use protein shakes because I don't like how processed they are and I don't like to eat soy as it could mess up my hormones. I think the best thing is to eat a balanced diet and not worry about extra protein, just eat a little more meat than you would if you weren't an athlete.

 

Most of the daily calories should come from protein, and carbs & fat around the same amount for a balanced, healthy diet. Sports require protein for muscle maintenance and building. Also, cutting out most of the sugar is great, as it brings no nutritional benefits, they are empty carbs.

 

Agreed with you. Sports require stamina and to have amazing stamina you need healthy muscles. I think this post may be helpful "health ips"

 

I don't care about taking protein shakes, but I try to keep my diet at least halfway decent. I drink a large amount of energy drinks inside and outside of my cycling endeavors, though. You'd see that the rest of my diet looks pretty good, though, and is filled with a lot of healthy foods that contain ample nutrients and whatnot.

 

Well, I understand. Most firms go overboard to promote their protein-rich foods and beverages. Actually, first class proteins coming from lean meats and milk protein (such as whey protein) are way better and are adequate than the expensive, artificially formulated protein shakes. What I meant to say in my original post is that eating a low-carb diet for a healthy man and stuffing with excess protein is detrimental to overall health, as too much protein diet produces too much urea and uric acid and other toxic waste products.

But yes, limiting excess sugar and starch is a good practice.

 

I drink protein after a tiring workout or ride. I think the drink is in its most digestible form and my body needs it right away. Other than that I do not take it on a regular basis as it is not a good substitute for the real food. A diet that is well balanced is necessary not only for active people but for all of us. Certain bodily functions need certain nutrients therefore we should aim for a diet that will be able to provide all that we need

 

Yeah I agree with this. As I'm not the specialist or perfect cycle rider but I had started this now. And thanks for this guys.

 

The perfect combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats is individual. Someone needs more proteins and less carbohydrates to stay in shape and not get fat, but also someone only needs carbohydrates if his/her metabolism is fast.. It all depends on how your metabolism burns calories, and the best is to know your own body how reacts....

 

Carbohydrates are a rich source of quick energy. So in no way do I look down on carbs. I just know that if I am consuming lots of it, I have to make sure I'm doing the work to allow my body to utilize it. You make a valid point about having a balance of all nutrients. Fact is though that most of the protein foods we have also contain other minor nutrients and minerals.

 

I think that a balanced diet is always best. It can be tweaked depending on the individual's needs and energy expenditure, but I'm a firm believer that the more whole, non processed foods, the better. It doesn't have to be organic or vegan or anything, but good food in moderation is what your body needs.

Protein shakes are fine as a supplement to an otherwise balanced diet, or as an occasional meal replacement, but I don't think they're anything to base your typical eating habits on. You can get the same protein, plus other necessary vitamins and minerals, through actual food, and your overall health will be better for it.